


I Need Your Strength

by byitisee



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec gives Magnus strength, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Clary & Izzy are minor/background, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt Alec Lightwood, Hurt Jace Wayland, Hurt Magnus Bane, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Malec, No Smut, Parabatai Bond, Parabatai Feels, Protective Alec Lightwood, Protective Jace Wayland, Protective Magnus Bane, Reckless Alec, Reckless Jace, Reckless Magnus, You get the idea, all about Malec & parabatai, implied/background Clace, notice a pattern?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-24 03:17:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12003858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/byitisee/pseuds/byitisee
Summary: When there aren't enough shadowhunters to go around, Alec and Magnus end up fighting dozens of demons and working to close a rift on their own. Basically, everything goes wrong. Everybody's running out of strength and magic/rune power, and angst/hurt/comfort ensues :)





	I Need Your Strength

Alec knew he should’ve had more backup for this mission, but the shadow world was in too much chaos to spare any other shadowhunters—especially if the High Warlock of Brooklyn was offering his help for free. He wasn’t worried though. In fact, this was almost like continuing their date. “How many do you think there are?” Alec had his bow drawn, waiting for the most efficient opportunity before he let the arrow fly.

“Does it matter? I need to focus on the rift. Remember the rift from Edom and how much magic it required to seal it?” Alec nodded as he disintegrated 3 winged demons with one carefully aimed arrow. “This is worse: both bigger and deeper. Even if I don’t help you contend with these demons, I will need nearly all of my magic and some of your strength. We need backup.”

“There is no backup. Do whatever you can without me while I hold them off, and we’ll take it from there.”

By the time Magnus was nearly ready for his help, Alec’s runes were hardly aiding him in his fight. He’d been at it too long and relying on them too much. He must have killed over 50 demons already, and they just kept coming. A call from Magnus at just the wrong moment interrupted his concentration as his agility rune—the last to hold out—failed him. He cried out in pain as the nearest demon reached his shoulder and managed to inject half of its venom before Magnus destroyed it and the nearest 10 other demons in one blow.

“I had it under control,” Alec groaned as he stumbled towards his boyfriend, “and you need that magic.”

Already looking a bit dizzy, Magnus sighed, “Just help me before more come.” Alec nodded and took a steadying breath as he offered his hand.

***

Jace just managed to finish off the demon in front of him before reaching for his shoulder in pain.

Clary turned in surprise, “Jace? What is it?”

“Alec,” he gasped, “something’s wrong.” He closed his eyes to focus. He sure as hell knew what demon venom felt like—even through the parabatai bond—but there was something else too.

“How bad?” Izzy asked, a bit out of breath from the ongoing fight, but Clary cut her off.

“Jace, go. We’ll be fine.” Jace hesitated. “He needs you.”

However rare, the look of gratitude was clear as day on Jace’s face as he ran in the direction of his brother.

***

Magnus was leaning most of his weight on his boyfriend now, and the rift was only half closed. He could feel Alec shaking from the venom, but there was no restraint in the strength he offered the drained warlock. “It’s not enough. I’m running out of magic, and you’ll need some of that strength for any demons that might show up.”

“Take what you need. I’ll be fine.”

“Alexander-”

Alec gave him a strained smile. “You don’t think I can take it?”

Magnus didn’t rise to the bait. “Your wound will need an iratze.”

“I just activated it. That and endurance. You have to keep going before we’re surrounded.” Alec was a good liar when he wanted to be. He knew he could take it, and that’s all that mattered.

“Alexander-”

“I said I’ll be fine. Do it.”

***

Jace stumbled and held his side where his parabatai rune ached. He quickly activated his stamina and swift runes and pressed on. Alec was getting weaker, and Jace felt physically drained beyond the aid of any rune. He took a deep breath. What had Alec gotten himself into?

***

Alec’s vision blurred. It took all the strength he had left to stay upright and physically support his boyfriend, but he still offered that strength to Magnus. They had to get this rift sealed. This was his job. Shadowhunters, mundanes, and even downworlders were in danger. He spun around—careful to keep a strong hold of Magnus’s hand—when he suddenly heard something behind them. Demons. There must’ve been 20 of them.

“Magnus!”

The warlock turned immediately and didn’t hesitate before dropping Alec’s hand, “go!”

If he was quick, Alec probably had enough strength to activate one of his runes. In mere seconds, he used his accuracy rune to empty his quiver into every oncoming demon, turning his head just in time to see his boyfriend teetering on the edge of the nearly sealed rift. “Magnus, Magnus I’m here.” Without thinking, he grabbed the warlock’s hand and willed his remaining strength into his boyfriend.

***

Jace cried out at the spike of pain in both his shoulder and parabatai rune combined with an intense wave of dizziness. “Alec.” Stumbling despite his surefooted rune, he ran around the last corner in time to see his brother start to collapse dangerously close to the open rift. “Alec!”

Startled into awareness by the surge in strength and Jace’s cry, Magnus cast a quick spell to suspend Alec in place before he fell, and used the last of his remaining magic and borrowed strength to finish closing the rift before he collapsed.

***

Alec slowly drifted towards consciousness to the sound of his name. He knew something was wrong. He felt weak and struggled to regain awareness. “…ok Alec. Alec, stay with me.” The voice sounded raw with pain and as drained as Alec felt. Jace. What was wrong with Jace? “I think he’s waking up. Magnus? What kind of demon?”

“Demn?” Alec mumbled, starting to push himself upright to deal with the demon, but immediately wincing and curling in on himself on the hard ground.

“Alec! Don’t try to get up, Alec. You already stopped the demons.” There was a note of pride mixed with the pain that Magnus didn’t miss. “Hey, Alec, stay with me, ok? Do you remember what happened?”

With visibly substantial effort, Alec opened his eyes to slits and hesitated before gasping, “Magnus!”

“I’m fine; I’m here. I’m the High Warlock of Brooklyn. I can handle a little rift.” Magnus sighed in relief at seeing Alec awake and coherent.

Jace rolled his eyes. “I think what he means to say is thanks for saving my ass. Again.”

Alec smiled. “You were falling.”

“I had it under control,” Magnus quoted, “and you needed that strength.” Magnus had one of Alec’s hand in his and was rubbing it in slow circles. “The thing is, what you did shouldn’t be possible. You shouldn’t be able to give me all of your remaining strength, and you shouldn’t be able to give me any unless I’m actively taking it. How did you do it?”

“I don’t know. I had to. You-” Alec suddenly shut his eyes and groaned through a sudden, piercing headache and dizzy spell.

“Alec. Alec, hey, stay with me. You need to stay with me. Magnus, he needs to get to the institute. Now!”

“No, Alec, you need to wake up. Please wake up,” Magnus was all but shaking the now unconscious shadowhunter as unwelcome tears blurred his vision. This couldn’t be happening again. “Please Alec, I can’t…”

“Magnus!” Jace grabbed the warlock by the arm and forced his to make eye contact. “We need to get him to the institute.”

“I can’t! The strength you gave me can only do so much. It cannot replenish my magic, and creating a portal is no simple flick of the wrist. I would need hours to recover that much power. Can’t you carry him?”

“He’s my parabatai. Be happy I had any strength left to give you. Besides, I had my own battle before I had to rescue you both from yours.”

“I’m open to suggestions.” Magnus kept his sarcastic tone to help him focus, but there was no bite to the words. His gaze was fixed on Alec. “I thought his iratze and endurance runes would’ve helped more than this.”

Jace openly laughed at that. “They would help a lot more if he activated them.”

“He did. When I said I needed more strength, he said-”

“Exactly. I would’ve said that too if the person I loved needed me.” Jace glanced at Magnus with a pained smile. “He knew you wouldn’t take what you needed if you knew how little he had left.” Magnus suddenly leaned over, balancing some of his weight on Jace, and brought both hands to his head. “You alright?”

Magnus nodded, “Just running out of strength.” He looked pointedly at Jace before sucking in a sharp breath in clear pain. Not right now, he had to help Alec. Using as much focus as he could pull away from his unconscious boyfriend, he tried to lift his head from Jace’s shoulder, but he had nothing left.

“Great,” Jace mumbled, rubbing his own temples. Alec’s headache was getting worse. “Can you give a shadowhunter strength, or just take it?”

Magnus thought for a moment through the fog. “I don’t see why I couldn’t give it, but I have very little left to give.”

“I know. Take what you need from me and give as much of it as you can to Alec.”

“Look at you, you don’t have that much strength in you either.”

“Do you have a better idea? We can’t get him to the institute, and I can’t give him strength directly without a rune. Neither of us have enough strength left to activate a rune, and he won’t make it much longer. I can feel it.”

Magnus shut his eyes tightly to hide at least some of his tears from the shadowhunter, but Jace was crying too. He took a deep breath to regain some composure and muster what strength he had left, and drew himself up from Jace’s shoulder as he reached for the shadowhunter’s hand. 

“Magnus?” The warlock nodded. “Promise you’ll take as much as he needs.”

***

Jace blinked wearily as he tried to get his bearings. Institute. Memory still foggy, bits and pieces came back to him before he sat straight up in bed shouting, “Alec!”

Not realizing he was awake, Alec, Magnus, Clary, and Izzy jumped at the sudden exclamation. “Thanks for reminding me I still have that headache,” Alec groaned, but a weight was visibly lifted off his shoulders at hearing his parabatai’s voice. “Never do that again! You scared the hell outta me.”

“You’re one to talk,” he quipped, but closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall at the same time.

“You two need to rest,” Izzy chided, and began to get up.

“Three,” Alec corrected. “Magnus looks about ready to nod off on my shoulder.”

This elicited a weak smile from the clearly exhausted warlock sitting on Alec’s bed. “I’m the High Warlock of-”

“Just sleep,” Alec brushed away the mumbled reply, and Magnus shrugged, leaning further onto his boyfriend’s shoulder.

Izzy smiled, and gestured to Clary that she was leaving, but Clary whispered, “I think I’ll stay too. Keep him company.” She had one of Jace’s still pale hands in her own, and he gave her a soft smile before drifting off. Isabelle kept smiling as she left to check for demon activity. Someone had to get some work done.


End file.
